Guitar god Gary Clark Jr. has a way of appealing to people across genres. His brand of blues rock is traditionally grounded and forward-looking at the same time, a comination that managed to land him two Grammy nominations for singles from his debut album Blak and Blu—in different genres. His single "Ain't Messin Round" received a bid for Best Rock Song, while "Please Come Home" was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Song.
He'll be performing at the awards show, too, and, to celebrate, he's dabbling in even more genres by releasing a mixtape of unreleased tracks and remixes called Blak and Blu: The Mixtape. Presented by D-Nice, it will feature appearances from Robert Glasper, Bilal, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, as well as this remix of "Blak and Blu" with Big K.R.I.T. This isn't the first time Clark has worked with contemporary R&B and hip-hop artists: he also collaborated with Nasin 2012 on a series of songs for ESPN, he's written for Alicia Keys and he released a single with The-Dream last year.
Still, it's a cool look for Clark, and K.R.I.T. is a great pairing, with his own homespun Southern style and motivational verse that's perfectly suited for the soulful mix of the track. Check it out below and keep an eye out for Clark at the Grammys.
Additionally, Clark will be busy in another genre exercise starting February 17, when he'll head on tour opening for the Kings of Leon.
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